By Jennifer P. Rendon
Five minors were identified as the perpetrators behind the burglary at the Public Order and Safety Management Office (POSMO) in Iloilo City.
Investigators from the Iloilo City Police Station 1 (ICPS1) said the suspects include two nine-year-old boys, an 11-year-old, a 13-year-old, and a 15-year-old.
Four of the minors reside on Muelle Loney Street in the City Proper, while the 15-year-old is from Barangay Baluarte, Molo district.
ICPS1 chief Captain Roque Gimeno III said four of the minors were “rescued” just hours after the burglary was discovered. The boys, aged 9, 11, and 13, were turned over by their parents at around 4 p.m. on Monday, while the second nine-year-old was brought in at 5 p.m.
The eldest, the 15-year-old, was rescued the following morning.
Gimeno said the minors were identified through group photos and selfies taken on a DSLR camera found at the scene.
Although the children left the camera behind, they took two laptops.
The incident was discovered at around 7:45 a.m. on Sept. 23 when Jay Victor Mabilog, POSMO’s newly designated officer-in-charge, entered his office at the 3rd Floor of the Old BFP Building on M. Peralta Street, Barangay Muelle Loney.
Mabilog, 56, of Barangay Tap-oc, Molo, was recently appointed following the resignation of former POSMO head Jeck Conlu.
The minors took two Acer laptops—one personal, valued at PHP38,000, and another for office use, worth PHP27,000.
Gimeno added that authorities quickly gathered leads when the burglars failed to erase the photos from the camera.
“Barangay officials were able to identify the children,” he said.
The minors have since been turned over to the City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) for proper intervention.
